Story Notes:
The chapters in this story are in no way connected to each other, except for the fact that they are all inspired by song lyrics from "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow", by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, formerly The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, formerly A Silver Mt. Zion (ASMZ) and, at one point, The Silver Mountain Reveries. There will be 36 chapters, with none of them having more than 2000 words. Each will have its own topic, according to the individual titles. Each will have different characters and a different setting, in order to show just how many topics this song deals with. Speaking of which, in case you'd like to listen to it, you can find it on YouTube. I recommend this song; I've been listening to it for about three years now, and it just never gets old. There are so many things that come to my mind when listening to it, so now I'm trying to write them all down. Since the chapters are going to be really short, I think I'll be able to put a new one online every two days or so, depending on how much time I have. I know there are other projects I should be working on, but now I suddenly had this idea and I'd really like to see how it turns out. It's a bit hard to write stories that are so very short and still meaningful, but luckily they don't have to stand on their own, as they are mostly ways to interprete the song they are based on. Well, I hope I'll be able to update as often and as quickly as I am planning to, and I hope you'll enjoy reading and listening to "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow".
...to stop for a minute, just to start up again...
PLEASE NOTE: I do not own Pokémon, and I have to say that I'm kind of proud of it, because the idea of capturing animal-like creatures to make them fight each other is pretty sick, actually. Be this as it may, every species of Pokémon referred to in the following text and everything else that is a part of the Pokémon franchise is the property of their rightful owner, however, the actual story belongs to me. The title belongs to Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band/ The Silver Mountain Reveries. No copyright infringement is intended.
Thank you.
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Have you never heard that there's a river in the valley made of melting snow...?
...to stop for a minute, just to start up again...
A Magmar was sitting in front of his cave, looking up at the orange sky. The sun was setting, but it was still comfortably warm. The Magmar would not even have needed the heat of his own flames in order to be feeling well. He sighed in satisfaction. He had had a rather busy day; however, he had also been able to find some very tasty-looking mushrooms, and he was looking forward to eating them. Still, for now the Magmar was just enjoying the end of another day. The forest lay still and he could see a few puffy bright clouds hanging in the sky. This was a peaceful moment.
A low rustling sound reached his ears. He lowered his gaze and noticed a Marowak stepping out from between the dense trees. It proceeded to walk past the Magmar's cave, apparently without even noticing his presence. The Marowak was very tall and muscular, but dirty all over, and there were large cracks visible in its skull mask. It was moving along very slowly while dragging its truly gigantic bone club behind it; there were remains of dried blood sticking to it.
The Magmar watched the Marowak for a short while. He then stood up and walked over to its side.
"Good evening," he said. The Marowak stopped moving and turned its head towards him. Dark green eyes became visible under the mask.
"Is it a good evening, sir?" The voice was dull and sounded a bit hollow, but it was unmistakably that of a female. The Magmar nodded slowly.
"Well, it's nice and warm, and the setting sun is looking very beautiful... Yes, I'd say it's a good evening." The Marowak raised her head. All her motions seemed slow and exhausted.
"I'm sure you're right, sir," she said, "but I must admit, sir, that I usually don't pay very much attention to such things, sir. I'm always busy with something else, sir." The Magmar took another short look at the sun and then waited for the Marowak to turn her head back towards him.
"You seem to be very tired," he stated. The tall female closed her eyes for a moment.
"I'm always tired, sir," she replied tonelessly. The fire type just looked at her for some time, then he nodded.
"I see," he spoke in a softer tone. "Well, I was just about to go inside and eat something," he went on while pointing at his cave. "Would you maybe like to join me? There should be enough for both of us."
"That is too kind of you, sir, really, sir, I cannot thank you enough for that offer, sir." She was sounding a bit monotonous, which was probably due to her exhaustion. As the Magmar began walking towards his cave, she followed him closely.
The Magmar's den was relatively big, considering that just one Pokémon lived there, so there was more than enough room for both of them. He watched her as she sat down at one of the walls and took off her skull helmet. Her facial expression appeared to be somewhat nondescript; mostly, she just seemed to be tired.
"What's your name?" he asked while picking up one of the large mushrooms he had collected earlier that day and stored inside his cave. As he was a fire type, he could easily heat up his paw and fry the mushroom while holding it.
"I'm called Estaya, sir, that is my name, sir." Her gaze was firmly locked on the Magmar. It made him feel a bit strange that he apparently had her full attention. She didn't even seem to be thinking about anything, she was just looking at him and waiting for him to say something.
"Estaya?" he asked. She nodded and spoke:
"Yes, sir, that is my name, sir." The Magmar blinked.
"You really don't need to keep calling me "sir"," he mentioned. However, Estaya shook her head.
"It's the way I've learned it, sir, it would be rude if I didn't do it, sir, I don't want to be rude, sir." The fire type shrugged and opened his paw. The mushroom had become darker, and it looked nice and crunchy. He offered it to his guest.
"Here, try this," he said, showing her a reassuring smile, "I'm sure you'll like it. But be careful, it's still very hot..." The Marowak took the mushroom from him and immediately put it in her mouth. She chewed a few times, then she swallowed.
"That was very good, sir, thank you very much, sir," she spoke in her usual low, tired tone. The Magmar was a little surprised that she had not acted upon his warning, but then he just shook his head and reached for another mushroom to heat up in his paw.
"How come you're so exhausted, Estaya?" he inquired. The Marowak sighed deeply and lowered her gaze.
"It's the battles, sir, they tire me out, sir." The fire type frowned.
"The battles?" he repeated, not sure if he had really understood her. "What do you mean?"
"The battles, sir, all the fighting, sir," she replied patiently. "You may have noticed my club, sir, and the cracks in my helmet, sir, and my physique, sir. I am very strong, sir. I'm a born warrior, sir. Thank you very much, sir." The Magmar had given her another fried mushroom. She ate it very quickly.
"I still don't understand," the fire type admitted, once again picking up another mushroom. "What do you fight against? Who is your enemy?" Estaya blinked.
"I don't know, sir," she said slowly. "Sometimes I think I fight against injustice, sir, but that is probably not correct, sir. My enemy is anyone who wants to fight me, sir." The Magmar kept looking at her silently. As the third mushroom was fried, he handed it to her and she ate it. Once again, she thanked him.
"Why do you live like that?" he asked lowly.
"I am a born warrior, sir," Estaya repeated. "I know how to be a warrior, sir. I can't be anything else, sir, I can't do anything else, sir." The Magmar sighed deeply and nodded.
"I understand why you're tired."
Right next to the pile of mushrooms there stood a few thick branches. The Magmar had hollowed and washed them out and put wooden lids on top of them. Thus, he could use them to store water. "Would you like something to drink?" He picked up one of the branches, took off the lid and offered it to Estaya.
"That is so very kind of you, sir, thank you so very much, sir." It almost broke the Magmar's heart to hear his guest talk like this. Even though she was apparently happy to be treated with hospitality, she still sounded very tired and a bit sad. She raised the thick branch to her mouth and drank down its entire contents all at once. When she was done, she placed the branch on the ground next to her and looked at the Magmar again. He breathed deeply.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked. Estaya shook her head.
"Thank you, sir, you have given me so much already, sir, I just wish I could repay you in some way, sir." The fire type kept quiet for a moment. He then pointed at the pile of mushrooms.
"Would you like a few more of those?" he asked. Once again, the Marowak shook her head.
"No, sir, thank you so much, sir, there would not be enough left for you, sir." The Magmar wanted to tell her that it would not be a problem if she ate some more of his mushrooms, but he was sure that it would be of no use. She would not accept his offer. Instead, he decided to say:
"Since you're so tired, maybe you'd like to stay here for tonight? There's enough room, and I'm sure you could use a break..." A very small, sad smile appeared on Estaya's face.
"You are too kind, sir, I'd love to keep you company, sir, but I fear I can't, sir." She reached for her skull mask, put it back on and stood up. "I must go home, sir, you see, sir, I cannot take a break, sir, no matter how tired I might be, sir." The Magmar rose to his hind paws as well.
"You have to go home? Where do you live?" Because of the helmet, Estaya's voice sounded dull again as she spoke:
"On the battlefield, sir." She turned towards the cave entrance. "I am a born warrior, sir. I cannot take a break, sir, I live on the battlefield, sir. I don't know where it is, sir, but I'm sure it will find me, sir, so far it always has, sir." The Magmar stepped up to her side and carefully touched her shoulder with one of his front paws. She turned her head towards him. He could see her tired green eyes beneath her mask.
"I understand," he said. "Please take care, Estaya." The Marowak nodded slightly.
"I will, sir. Thank you for all your hospitality and kindness, sir. I will never forget what you did for me, sir." Very slowly, she began walking, dragging her large weapon behind her. The Magmar kept looking at her for a moment, until he thought of something.
"Wait!" he shouted. Estaya stopped her movements and turned around. The fire type had disappeared in his cave. As he came back outside, he gave her another fried mushroom.
"Please take this," he spoke lowly. "I just wish I could do more for you." The Marowak blinked.
"You have given me so much more than anyone else ever has, sir," she replied in an equally low tone. She was holding her bone club in one paw, and the mushroom in the other. "Thank you, sir. You are truly a good person, sir. I hope we'll meet again, sir. Then I'll find a way to repay you for your kindness, sir." She turned around again and continued walking at her slow, exhausted pace. The Magmar looked after her until she disappeared in the forest and he could not see her anymore.
"Farewell..." he whispered.
(1770 words)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This is the end of this chapter. Four chapters in four days is not bad, I think. I have to admit, this one is my favorite so far, mostly because of Estaya. She's certainly one of the most interesting characters I've come up with, so maybe I'll write about her again some day. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter; I'll try to upload the next one tomorrow, but I fear I won't be able to make it, so it might not be up until Sunday. It will be called "your hands like birds in the trees..." As usual, if you have suggestions, questions or anything like that, please send an email to [email protected] . And please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
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...to stop for a minute, just to start up again...
A Magmar was sitting in front of his cave, looking up at the orange sky. The sun was setting, but it was still comfortably warm. The Magmar would not even have needed the heat of his own flames in order to be feeling well. He sighed in satisfaction. He had had a rather busy day; however, he had also been able to find some very tasty-looking mushrooms, and he was looking forward to eating them. Still, for now the Magmar was just enjoying the end of another day. The forest lay still and he could see a few puffy bright clouds hanging in the sky. This was a peaceful moment.
A low rustling sound reached his ears. He lowered his gaze and noticed a Marowak stepping out from between the dense trees. It proceeded to walk past the Magmar's cave, apparently without even noticing his presence. The Marowak was very tall and muscular, but dirty all over, and there were large cracks visible in its skull mask. It was moving along very slowly while dragging its truly gigantic bone club behind it; there were remains of dried blood sticking to it.
The Magmar watched the Marowak for a short while. He then stood up and walked over to its side.
"Good evening," he said. The Marowak stopped moving and turned its head towards him. Dark green eyes became visible under the mask.
"Is it a good evening, sir?" The voice was dull and sounded a bit hollow, but it was unmistakably that of a female. The Magmar nodded slowly.
"Well, it's nice and warm, and the setting sun is looking very beautiful... Yes, I'd say it's a good evening." The Marowak raised her head. All her motions seemed slow and exhausted.
"I'm sure you're right, sir," she said, "but I must admit, sir, that I usually don't pay very much attention to such things, sir. I'm always busy with something else, sir." The Magmar took another short look at the sun and then waited for the Marowak to turn her head back towards him.
"You seem to be very tired," he stated. The tall female closed her eyes for a moment.
"I'm always tired, sir," she replied tonelessly. The fire type just looked at her for some time, then he nodded.
"I see," he spoke in a softer tone. "Well, I was just about to go inside and eat something," he went on while pointing at his cave. "Would you maybe like to join me? There should be enough for both of us."
"That is too kind of you, sir, really, sir, I cannot thank you enough for that offer, sir." She was sounding a bit monotonous, which was probably due to her exhaustion. As the Magmar began walking towards his cave, she followed him closely.
The Magmar's den was relatively big, considering that just one Pokémon lived there, so there was more than enough room for both of them. He watched her as she sat down at one of the walls and took off her skull helmet. Her facial expression appeared to be somewhat nondescript; mostly, she just seemed to be tired.
"What's your name?" he asked while picking up one of the large mushrooms he had collected earlier that day and stored inside his cave. As he was a fire type, he could easily heat up his paw and fry the mushroom while holding it.
"I'm called Estaya, sir, that is my name, sir." Her gaze was firmly locked on the Magmar. It made him feel a bit strange that he apparently had her full attention. She didn't even seem to be thinking about anything, she was just looking at him and waiting for him to say something.
"Estaya?" he asked. She nodded and spoke:
"Yes, sir, that is my name, sir." The Magmar blinked.
"You really don't need to keep calling me "sir"," he mentioned. However, Estaya shook her head.
"It's the way I've learned it, sir, it would be rude if I didn't do it, sir, I don't want to be rude, sir." The fire type shrugged and opened his paw. The mushroom had become darker, and it looked nice and crunchy. He offered it to his guest.
"Here, try this," he said, showing her a reassuring smile, "I'm sure you'll like it. But be careful, it's still very hot..." The Marowak took the mushroom from him and immediately put it in her mouth. She chewed a few times, then she swallowed.
"That was very good, sir, thank you very much, sir," she spoke in her usual low, tired tone. The Magmar was a little surprised that she had not acted upon his warning, but then he just shook his head and reached for another mushroom to heat up in his paw.
"How come you're so exhausted, Estaya?" he inquired. The Marowak sighed deeply and lowered her gaze.
"It's the battles, sir, they tire me out, sir." The fire type frowned.
"The battles?" he repeated, not sure if he had really understood her. "What do you mean?"
"The battles, sir, all the fighting, sir," she replied patiently. "You may have noticed my club, sir, and the cracks in my helmet, sir, and my physique, sir. I am very strong, sir. I'm a born warrior, sir. Thank you very much, sir." The Magmar had given her another fried mushroom. She ate it very quickly.
"I still don't understand," the fire type admitted, once again picking up another mushroom. "What do you fight against? Who is your enemy?" Estaya blinked.
"I don't know, sir," she said slowly. "Sometimes I think I fight against injustice, sir, but that is probably not correct, sir. My enemy is anyone who wants to fight me, sir." The Magmar kept looking at her silently. As the third mushroom was fried, he handed it to her and she ate it. Once again, she thanked him.
"Why do you live like that?" he asked lowly.
"I am a born warrior, sir," Estaya repeated. "I know how to be a warrior, sir. I can't be anything else, sir, I can't do anything else, sir." The Magmar sighed deeply and nodded.
"I understand why you're tired."
Right next to the pile of mushrooms there stood a few thick branches. The Magmar had hollowed and washed them out and put wooden lids on top of them. Thus, he could use them to store water. "Would you like something to drink?" He picked up one of the branches, took off the lid and offered it to Estaya.
"That is so very kind of you, sir, thank you so very much, sir." It almost broke the Magmar's heart to hear his guest talk like this. Even though she was apparently happy to be treated with hospitality, she still sounded very tired and a bit sad. She raised the thick branch to her mouth and drank down its entire contents all at once. When she was done, she placed the branch on the ground next to her and looked at the Magmar again. He breathed deeply.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked. Estaya shook her head.
"Thank you, sir, you have given me so much already, sir, I just wish I could repay you in some way, sir." The fire type kept quiet for a moment. He then pointed at the pile of mushrooms.
"Would you like a few more of those?" he asked. Once again, the Marowak shook her head.
"No, sir, thank you so much, sir, there would not be enough left for you, sir." The Magmar wanted to tell her that it would not be a problem if she ate some more of his mushrooms, but he was sure that it would be of no use. She would not accept his offer. Instead, he decided to say:
"Since you're so tired, maybe you'd like to stay here for tonight? There's enough room, and I'm sure you could use a break..." A very small, sad smile appeared on Estaya's face.
"You are too kind, sir, I'd love to keep you company, sir, but I fear I can't, sir." She reached for her skull mask, put it back on and stood up. "I must go home, sir, you see, sir, I cannot take a break, sir, no matter how tired I might be, sir." The Magmar rose to his hind paws as well.
"You have to go home? Where do you live?" Because of the helmet, Estaya's voice sounded dull again as she spoke:
"On the battlefield, sir." She turned towards the cave entrance. "I am a born warrior, sir. I cannot take a break, sir, I live on the battlefield, sir. I don't know where it is, sir, but I'm sure it will find me, sir, so far it always has, sir." The Magmar stepped up to her side and carefully touched her shoulder with one of his front paws. She turned her head towards him. He could see her tired green eyes beneath her mask.
"I understand," he said. "Please take care, Estaya." The Marowak nodded slightly.
"I will, sir. Thank you for all your hospitality and kindness, sir. I will never forget what you did for me, sir." Very slowly, she began walking, dragging her large weapon behind her. The Magmar kept looking at her for a moment, until he thought of something.
"Wait!" he shouted. Estaya stopped her movements and turned around. The fire type had disappeared in his cave. As he came back outside, he gave her another fried mushroom.
"Please take this," he spoke lowly. "I just wish I could do more for you." The Marowak blinked.
"You have given me so much more than anyone else ever has, sir," she replied in an equally low tone. She was holding her bone club in one paw, and the mushroom in the other. "Thank you, sir. You are truly a good person, sir. I hope we'll meet again, sir. Then I'll find a way to repay you for your kindness, sir." She turned around again and continued walking at her slow, exhausted pace. The Magmar looked after her until she disappeared in the forest and he could not see her anymore.
"Farewell..." he whispered.
(1770 words)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This is the end of this chapter. Four chapters in four days is not bad, I think. I have to admit, this one is my favorite so far, mostly because of Estaya. She's certainly one of the most interesting characters I've come up with, so maybe I'll write about her again some day. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter; I'll try to upload the next one tomorrow, but I fear I won't be able to make it, so it might not be up until Sunday. It will be called "your hands like birds in the trees..." As usual, if you have suggestions, questions or anything like that, please send an email to [email protected] . And please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal